The Love That Will Not Die
Spiritual
awakening is frequently described
as
a journey to the top of a mountain.
We
leave our attachments and our worldliness
behind
and slowly make our way to the top.
At
the peak we have transcended all pain.
The
only problem with this metaphor is
that
we leave all the others behind --
our
drunken brother, our schizophrenic sister,
our
tormented animals and friends.
Their
suffering continues, unrelieved
by
our personal escape.
In
the process of discovering our true nature,
the
journey goes down, not up.
It’s
as if the mountain pointed toward the
center
of the earth instead of reaching into the sky.
Instead
of transcending the suffering of all creatures,
we
move toward the turbulence and doubt.
We
jump into it. We slide into it. We tiptoe into it.
We
move toward it however we can.
We
explore the reality and unpredictability
of
insecurity and pain, and we try not to push it away.
If
it takes years, if it takes lifetimes,
we
will let it be as it is. At our own pace,
without
speed or aggression,
we
move down and down and down.
With
us move millions of others,
our
companions in awakening from fear.
At
the bottom we discover water,
the
healing water of compassion.
Right
down there in the thick of things,
we
discover the love that will not die.
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